AUSTRALIA - Part 4 - The Finale

Pelicans nr Tweed Head NSW

Glass House "Mountains"

After returning from our stay in Sydney, returning to the Gold Coast was rather a dampener - obviously not in the context of the family, who are wonderful to see (most of the time, 2 under five year olds of course can be a challenge!), but in the context of the environment.

Simply put, GC is not my sort of place, I'd tried hard to explore the hinterland and the "mountains" further afield, but nothing I visited made me want to return....as for the "city" itself my comments previously stood up, probably even more with time....in fact Jamie visited the family for a short visit, and he described it as dystopia....the end of the World, and this is the best at a rebuild...again I understand for a young family it is a very desirable environment to bring up kids...but if you want vitality, diversity, culture, any "edge"...go elsewhere.

Interestingly, and conversely, the Gold Coast is one of the most in-demand regions in Australia for people moving out of the traditional cities and relocating....property prices are high and rising, as is the rental market, with a real shortage for both....but I won't be joining those throngs and each to their own!

Glass House Mountains - Volcanic Plugs

Also in fairness, you have to love the beaches and surf...it is a way of life for probably most residents , a top reason why they move there...

Anyway, now in nearly mid January, I was originally planning on moving on...but due to circumstance this became delayed. On my hit list I still had not explored especially the recommended Glass House  Mountains north of Brisbane, nor seen the Sunshine Coast and the now infamous Noosa (after the England cricket team received some over exuberant R&R after their pummelling at the Gabba in the Ashes Test match)

Also on that hit list was a return to scuba on the Barrier Reef, but that was really looking more and more unlikely due to extreme adverse weather in North Queensland with biblical flooding...BTW at the same time Victoria state was partially being burnt to a cinder with temperatures touching 50C!

And also over the New Year, there were several shark attacks around the Sydney area - mainly by Bull Sharks, the same ones that breed in the brackish lakes near where the family lived...what is it about Australia! So stuff that getting into a sea based water sports, at least in Australia!!v

Record temperatures and rainfall with extensive flooding and wild fires; sharks on the rampage and a country geologically flattened - is this a slow apocalypse, geologically?

So what did I do? With Linda we had several grandparent duties including a nice day out at the impressive Botanical Gardens with Callie, and also with Becky and Sienna we had a day at HOTA near Benowa on a safe lagoon....with Jamie and Linda we went down to the NSW coast in the Coolongatta and Tweed Heads area, in my opinion a much nicer varied coastline...especially at one spot viewing lots of Pelicans on a creek estuary...belatedly we also tested a few surf clubs, open to the public, a small step up from the souless standard bars with their "pokie" rooms...

Caloundra - Sunshine Coast

Coolongata

Eventually I decided on a road trip up to the Glass House Mountains north of Brisbane. Morphologically quite interesting, a series of widely spaced volcanic plugs...I climbed the easy Mount Ngungun, which pleasingly had clear 360 degree views at the top, unlike the much more challenging alternative I was going to try...Mt Tibrogargan.

 For me though, this sums up Australia: geologically absolutely worn down to practically nothing, what they describe as "mountains", are just remnants of when a true mountain range may have existed millions of years ago....as an example, these Glasshouse Mountains....the volcanic plugs are what would've fed the original mountain orogenic process, on top of which would've been layers and layers of later rock...with repeated folding and glaciation etc creating what we have in true mountain ranges all around the World....the Alps, NZ, Himalayas etc - and the Glasshouse "Mountains" all that is left are the bare bones after millions of years of erosion, with no counter orogenic processes...for me that applies to the whole of Australia! 

Anyway, climb done, box ticked....I won't be rushing back there either....decided to drive over to the Sunshine Coast via Noosa. Hard to describe Noosa, as it was Australia Day (or Invasion Day) weekend and it was packed, so I got out asap and drove all the way down the Sunshine Coast to the south tip at Caloundra.

One continuous featureless straight beach...for friggin miles...I'm sorry but this does nothing for me....same at the Gold Coast, mainly featureless...just before I left, my barber stated that Australia had the best beaches in the World!! The guy clearly needs to travel....although there is a blind delusutory proudness about the Australians....

 Flying Foxes at dusk were an amazing sight, rather jurassic though! 

Flying Foxes at Dusk - thousands!

Flying Foxes - Varsity Lakes

You can guess, I got to the stage where I needed to leave and explore new places....as it happened one of the family had a visa dilemma, and a resolution was to leave Australia (friggin harder than you'd think in distance terms!) and then return....but for me to continue onward and further away from Australia!

But where to.....😊 

 

On the very last morning, this chap appeared in the back garden!  A King Parrot